Collapsible chair



Nov. 12, 1957 s. HEYMAN 2,812,801

COLLAPSIBLE CHAIR Filed Nov. 15, 1955 INVENTOR SamHeymazz BY M W KW ATTORNEYS United States Patent ,0

CGLLAPSIBLE CHAIR Sam Heyman, New Bedford, Mass., assignor to Universal Converting Corporation, a corporation of Massachusetts Application November 15, 1955, Serial No. 546,969

6 Claims. (Cl. 155-139) It is among the objects of the invention to provide a collapsible chair that may readily be fabricated from relatively inexpensive parts, that is light in weight and may readily be folded from open to closed position and when in open position will dependably remain in such position even if the chair occupant should lean forward, yet may readily be collapsed to closed position by merely moving the chair legs together without need for any adjustment or further manipulation on the part of the occupant.

According to the invention, these objects are accomplished by the arrangement and combination of elements hereinafter described and particularly recited in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which are shown one or more of various possible embodiments of the several features of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the chair,

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 of the chair in folded position,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail view on a greatly enlarged scale taken along line 33 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Referring now to the drawings, the chair comprises a pair of substantially U-shaped front and rear supporting frames 11 and 12, preferably of tubular metal stock, the parallel legs 13 and 14 of which are pivotally connected at their upper ends as at 15, 16 to an associated arm rest 17.

Pivotally connected at their front ends as at 18 to the legs 13 of the frame below the upper ends thereof, are parallel side bars 19 between which a flexible member 21, desirably a strip of plastic material, is stretched to form the seat portion of the chair. The rear ends 22 of the side bars 19 straddle the lower ends of the parallel legs 23 of a substantially U-shaped frame 24 also preferably of tubular metal stock.

The legs 23 near their upper ends which extend beyond the arm rests 17 when the chair is in open position, are straddled by the ends of the arm rests 17 and pivotally connected thereto as at 25. A strip of flexible material 26 also preferably of plastic, is stretched between the upper ends of legs 23 to form the back rest of the chair.

The legs 23 are pivotally connected respectively as at 27 to the side bars 19 adjacent their ends 22 as is clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The pivot 27 comprises a substantially U-shaped link 31 preferably a spring steel rod, having its longer leg 32 extending inwardly through aligned transverse openings 33, 34 in bar 19 and leg 23 respectively to define the pivot 27. The portion 35 of leg 32 extending outwardly beyond bar 19 mounts a sleeve 36 which is designed to rest against the rear of leg 14 when the chair is in open position.

The shorter leg 39 of link 31 extends through a transverse opening 41 in leg 14 below the openings 34, 35, pivotally to connect the leg 14 to the seat portion 19 and 2,812,801 Patented Nov. 12,1957

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back rest 24 of the chair. The link 31 is conformed so as to releasablyengage the leg 14 when the chair is in open position. To this end as is clearly shown in' Figs. 1 and 3, the portion 43 of the link31 which extends outwardly beyond the leg 14 is bent downwardly preferably at an angle of slightly greater than degrees so that the reversely bent end 44 of the link 31 will be below the leg 14. and positioned slightly inwardly. of the outer surface thereof as shown in Fig. 3 when the chair is in open position.

The portion 46 of leg 14 against which the sleeve 36 rests is desirably bent rearwardly out of longitudinal alignment with the upper and lower portions 14a, 14b of said leg 14 to enhance the locking action of the bent portion 43 of link 31 which is in engagement with portion 46 of leg 14 when the chair is open.

To close the chair from the open position shown in Fig. 1, it is merely necessary to move the lower ends of the legs 13 and 14 together.

The frictional engagement of the bent portion 43 of link 31 against the portion 46 of leg 14 will releasably restrain such folding action until the reversely bent end 44 of the link 31 has moved clear of portion 46 of leg 14'. Thereupon, folding of the chair to fully collapsed position, shown in Fig. 2, may readily be accomplished by continued movement of the ends of legs 13 and 14 toward each other.

As the pivotal mount of the shorter leg 39 to the leg 14 is to the rear of the pivotal mount 27, by reason of the resilient locking action afforded by the action of the bent portion 43 of link 31 against the portion 46 of leg 14 substantially a toggle action is provided. Hence, if the occupant of the chair should lean forward, the link 31 would tend to be moved further downwardly which will enhance the resilient locking action afforded by the bent portion 43 of the link. Thus collapse of the chair with possible injury to the occupant is substantially precluded.

With the construction above described, a chair is provided which will dependably remain in open position even if the occupant should lean forward, without complex linkages or looks and with the use of only relatively simple components which may readily be fabricated.

As many changes could be made in the above construction, and many apparently widely diiferent embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A collapsible chair comprising front and rear leg members, a back rest, a pair of arm rests each pivotally connected at its front end to the upper end of the front leg member, at its rear end to the back rest, and intermediate its ends to the upper end of the rear leg member, a seat portion pivotally connected near its front end to said front leg member below the upper end thereof, pivotal means for said chair, said pivotal means comprising a substantially U-shaped link having a pair of legs, one of said legs pivotally connecting the rear end of said seat portion to said back rest below the pivotal connection of the arm rests thereto and the other leg be ing pivotally connected to said rear leg member, and means associated with a portion of said pivotal means releasably to lock said rear leg member in open position.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 in which said other leg is positioned below and to the rear of said first leg of the link when the chair is in open position.

3. The combination set forth in claim 1 in which said other leg is positioned below and to the rear of said first leg of the link when the chair is in open position, the means associated with the linkreleasably to lock said rear leg member in open position comprises a portion of said link between the legs thereof, said portion being bent to frictionally engage said rear leg member when the chair is in open position.

4. The combination set forth in claim 3 in which said rear leg member is bent rearwardly between its ends to form a portion out of longitudinal alignment with its upper and lower portions of said rear leg member and said first named leg of said link has a portion thereof adapted to rest against said bent portion of said rear leg member when said chair is open. I

5. The combination set forth in claim 4 in which a sleeve encompasses the portion of said first named leg of said link resting against said rear leg member.

6. A collapsible chair comprising a pair of substantially U-shaped frames, each having a pair of parallel legs to support the front and rear of the chair, a substantially U-shaped back rest having a pair of legs, a pair of arm rests straddling the legs of said back rest, each pivotally connected at its front end to the upper ends of the legs 'of the front support frame, at its rear end to the legs of the back rest, and intermediate its ends to the upper ends of the legs of the rear support frame, a pair of side bars defining the seat portion of the chair, said bars being straddled by and pivotally connected near their front ends to the legs of the front support frame below the upper end thereof, said bars straddling the legs of said back rest, a substantially U-shaped link having a pair of legs, one of said legs extending inwardly through said bar and the associated leg of the back rest for pivotal connection thereof, said leg extending outwardly beyond the associated leg of said rear support frame, the other of said legs being pivotally connected to the leg of said rear support frame below and to the rear of said first leg, the portion of said legs extending outwardly beyond the leg of said rear leg frame being bent downwardly to frictionally engage said leg of the rear leg frame when said chair is in open position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

